The current leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has to take pragmatic steps to correct the narrative and prevent the confusion associated with the usage of Danquah-Dombo-Busia or Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition by members of the party.
For the avoidance of doubt, Danquah-Dombo-Busia or Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition is NOT recognized by the Constitution of the New Patriotic Party(NPP). It was a convention of sloganeering spearheaded by the older generation of the party.
Honestly, the likes of Prof. Adu Boahen, former President John Agyekum Kufuor and President Akufo-Addo are to be largely blamed for the continuous pronouncement of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia or Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition instead of the UP Tradition.
These aforementioned leaders did not help the new generation of NPP members to fully appreciate the fact that the actual tradition of the party is UNITED PARTY(UP) TRADITION.
The conventional pronouncement of Danquah-Dombo-Busia or Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition by Prof. Adu Boahen, former President Kufuor, President Akufo-Addo and some leading members of the party is an affront and insult to the leaders who merged their various parties to form the UP Tradition. It is equally an insult to the Ashantis who represent the World Bank of the NPP.
NPP is not a family hegemony Tree that Danquah’s family, Busia’s family and Dombo’s family can claim ownership to the party. NPP is bigger and Supreme than any Family Tree and Individuality.
NPP is a national United Party Tradition whereby regardless of a person’s ethnic or religious background can contest for any position including Flagbearership depending upon the personal capacity and resources of the person.
Some of us have learnt our lessons and moving forward, we would refrain from using the Danquah-Dombo-Busia or Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition as a political marketing campaign tool and rather focus on selling/marketing our preferred Candidates on the basis of competence, experience, track record, loyalty, commitment, capacity, suitability and Acceptability.
The UNITED PARTY TRADITION was formed by the following process:
1. UGCC founded by George Alfred Grant(Chief Financier), Dr. J. B. Danquah, R. A. Awoornor-Williams, Robert Samuel Blay, Edward Akufo-Addo, Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey, Some Fante Chiefs, Academics and Lawyers later metamorphosed to Ghana Congress Party.
2. Ghana Congress Party under the leadership of Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia merged with other parties to form the United Party (UPP).
3. Baffour Osei Akoto founded the National Liberation Movement and later merged with other parties to form the United Party(UP).
4. S. D. Dombo founded the Northern People’s Party to protect the interests of people in the Northern Region of Ghana, and later merged with other parties to form the United Party(UP).
5. Modesto Apaloo founded the Anlo Youth Organization(also known as Anlo Youth Association) to campaign for the Ewe people under British rule to stay within Ghana after independence, and later merged with other parties to form the United Party(UP).
6. Muslims Association Party was founded by leaders of the Muslim communities as a welfare and social association, and later merged with other parties to form the United Party(UP).
7. Togoland Congress was founded by S. G. Anto later merged with other parties to form the United Party(UPP).
8. GA Shifimokpee was founded by leading communities of the Ga-Adangbe, and later merged with other parties to form the United Party(UP).
It would be seriously inappropriate and dishonesty to limit the Tradition of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) to only Danquah-Dombo-Busia considering the enormous contributions of the Founders of various Political Parties who came together to formed the United Party(UP) in opposition to the ruling Convention People’s Party led by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
I would personally blame the likes of Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia and Victor Owusu for not maintaining the political name of the United Party(UP) as means of protecting the Tradition in the Second Republic and Third Republic respectively. Unfortunately, when the National Liberation Council lifted the ban on politics, Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia together with friends in the defunct UP formed a new Political Party known as the Progress Party.
Victor Owusu who served in Busia’s government later founded the Popular Front Party in the Third Republic, and later merged with other parties to form the All People’s Party under Owusu’s leadership.
Under the Fourth Republican Constitution, all members of the United Party Tradition in the first Republic came together to form the New Patriotic Party(NPP) with Prof. Adu Boahen as the first Flagbearer.
Prof. Adu Boahen born in the Eastern Region though partly from Ashanti Region unfortunately limited the UP Tradition to Danquah-Busia mantra. This unfortunate phenomenon of Danquah-Busia mantra was reiterated by former President John Agyekum Kufuor instead of vehemently correcting the history largely due to his bias for Busia who mentored him. President Nana Akufo-Addo too, coming from the family of Danquah reiterated the Danquah-Busia mantra throughout his political journey maybe due to his bias for his great uncle Dr. J. B. Danquah. Along the lines, the Danquah-Busia mantra was amended to Danquah-Dombo-Busia Tradition or Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition by some NPP Members. That was absolutely a wrong move and complete deviation from the United Party(UP) Tradition which places much emphasis on Unity in diversity than individuals.
The new generation has every right to blame Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, Victor Owusu, Prof. Adu Boahen, former President John Agyekum Kufuor and President Akufo-Addo for not taking pragmatic steps to protect, preserve and maintain the pronouncement of UP Tradition as well as ensuring that the UP Tradition was entrenched in the NPP Constitution as a guide to the new and unborn generation.
I would like to urge the new leadership of NPP to take the necessary steps to outrightly ban the use of Danquah-Dombo-Busia or Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition by Party’s members and also ensure that the UP Tradition becomes the only mantra entrenched in the Constitution of NPP through amendment to the existing Constitution.
This will help to reduce the confusion, cure mischief and ensure equal platform to all NPP members to stand counted.